Close Quarters
by shel
Summary: a stuck elevator during a heatwave leads to a much needed discussion…


CHARMED 

**"Close Quarters"**

by shel

© august 2002

_disclaimer__:      the charmed ones, cole, and leo and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating__:              pg_

_summary__:       a stuck elevator during a heatwave leads to a much needed discussion…_

_timeline__:           post-season 4 ~ last week in august, 2002_

_archive__:            please don't without express permission…_

_notes__:              please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…_

            Phoebe sipped slowly from her water bottle as she sat on the elevator's cold tiled floor.  She knew she had to conserve as much of the thirty-two ounces as possible.  At least she had followed her gut instinct to grab the water bottle with her before she made her way to the morning's staff meeting. She glanced at her watch and sighed.  It had already been nearly an hour since the elevator jerked to a stop between floors. 

            The maintenance worker had spoken to her on the emergency phone and warned that he had no idea when power would be restored and that they'd try to free the people from the other elevators first.  Everything within a four-block radius of the newspaper building had shut down due to the power surge and resulting blackout.  Not that that made her feel any better.  She was still stuck in the elevator.  And she didn't even have her laptop with her so that she could at least spend the time working on her column.

Maybe it was for the best.  She hadn't slept well and, even though she had taken the responsible route and come into work, she hadn't been able to stay focused at all.  She had actually looked forward to the long staff meeting where she could have drifted off, albeit with her eyes open. 'Maybe this is a sign that I should have that nap now,' Phoebe decided.

She leaned back against the elevator wall and stared at the dark floor buttons on the panel opposite her.  Her eyes then focused on the panel in the ceiling.  She was sure she could levitate up and get out through the emergency hatch.  If the maintenance workers could manually open the doors to the floor above her, they'd be able to pull her up from the top of the elevator.  'But would that be personal gain?' she wondered. And if it's not, would she be able to explain away her gymnastic talents in managing to open the panel and climb out onto the top of the elevator by herself?  'It's not worth the aggravation,' she decided.  She closed her eyes and shifted position slightly.

Phoebe sighed and opened her eyes as she took another tiny sip from the water bottle.  After, she closed her eyes again and yawned.  At least she hadn't gotten into the other elevator with that arrogant jerk from Sales.  He was the last person she would have wanted to be stuck with during a power failure.  He's probably talking those poor people's ears off by telling them all about his perfect marriage to his perfect wife with his perfect children living in his perfect house in his perfect neighborhood.  "Nobody's life is *that* perfect," she declared. "Not even close," she added in a whisper as an image of Cole popped into her mind. 

Cole.  She was still married to him.  Still his wife.  "There goes my nap," she sighed as she opened her eyes.  Phoebe glanced at her bare ring finger.  She lightly rubbed the spot where her wedding ring had once been displayed.  She had taken off her rings months before.  Not long after she had seen Cole in the wasteland.  She thought removing them would help her make the break from him and move on.  Make the end of their relationship seem more real.  But it hadn't.  At least not yet.  'Face it, Phoebe,' she thought, 'you talk a good game to the others but the fact is that, in spite of everything, you're still in love with Cole.'  She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

She opened her eyes and grabbed her water bottle and gulped down too much so that water dribbled down her chin.  She didn't bother wiping away the droplets and, instead, suddenly pounded her fist on the floor and shouted, "Damn it all to hell!"

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "Why don't you check on her?" Piper asked Leo as they stood in the dining room and flipped through some large fabric swatches.

            "I checked on her not ten minutes ago," Leo answered as he pointed to one subtle pattern, "and she was fine."

            Piper shook her head and pointed to a more bold print.  "Leo, it's gotta be stifling in that elevator.  Maybe she needs some water or food."

            Leo took the swatch and held it against a chair.  "She still has a full bottle.  If she needs something, she knows to call me……I don't know, Piper.  Why do you want to re-upholster the chairs anyway? Shouldn't we be deciding on the baby's area?"

            "I already brought those samples upstairs," Piper answered as she leaned into her husband for a hug, "but when I saw this batch in the store, I thought they'd be perfect choices to consider for these chairs."  She ran a hand along the chair and added, "They've seen a lot of demonic wear-and-tear over the past couple of years and it's time for something new."

            "Can we afford all this redecorating?" Leo asked as he kissed the tip of her nose.

            Piper wrinkled her nose and smiled back at him.  "Well, we're already saving a lot by having you do the entire renovation on the baby's area and the club's been doing pretty well lately, not to mention the fact that we're now a three-income household.  So, yeah, I think we can manage new covers for the chairs."

            Leo kissed her again.  "Well then, I guess it's --" He suddenly stopped speaking as he looked upwards and then back to his wife.  He shrugged apologetically and said, "Be back soon.  Take care, you two."  He patted her slightly protruding abdomen and quickly kissed her again.

            "Love you," she said as he disappeared with the sparkling orb lights.

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "God, it's hot as hell in here," Phoebe muttered as she sat on the floor and fanned herself with her small notepad.

            "Actually, hell is a lot hotter," Cole commented as he suddenly appeared opposite her.

            "Cole?" Phoebe uttered in shock as she dropped her pad and opened her eyes.  "Are you crazy? What if I had been in here with someone? What are you doing here? And how'd you know I was even in here?"

            Cole shrugged, "I was in the building and overheard a conversation about your current situation.  Need a hand getting out?"

            Phoebe frowned, "No thanks.  I don't want to have to come up with any reason about how I managed to disappear from a stuck elevator.  Leo understood."

            "Suit yourself," Cole said as he took off his jacket and sat down opposite her.

            "Maybe I *am* in the wrong elevator after all," she muttered before she realized what he had done.   She quickly, and angrily, asked, "What are you doing?"

            "Keeping you company," he answered with a friendly smile.  "No sense in you sweating it out all by yourself."

            Phoebe crossed her arms in front of her.  "Well, I was doing just fine and don't need your company.  So why don't you go back to where ever it is you're staying now and leave me alone?"

            Cole stared at her for a moment and stood.  With a shrug, he added as he turned away, "If that's the way you want it…"

            Just as he started to take a step, Phoebe called out, "Cole!"

            Cole smiled and but kept a straight face when he turned back to face her, "Yes?"

            "You didn't say why you came to see me," she said as she scrambled to her feet.

            This time, Cole couldn't resist and he grinned broadly,  "Who said I came to see you?"

            Phoebe looked confused, "You just said you were in --"

            "The building," Cole finished for her as he interrupted.  "I was.  But I was here for me.  Not you."

"You?" she asked as she leaned back against the wall.

Cole nodded, "I wanted to place an ad in the paper."

            "An ad?" she asked with interest.  "For what?"

            "For my new…nah, you don't want to hear about it," Cole decided.  "See you around, Phoebe," he added with a wink.

            "Hey, what're you --" Phoebe began but Cole had already disappeared.  "Ooooh, you…" she growled in frustration.

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "So she's still stuck?" Paige asked as she balanced the phone's handset between her chin and shoulder.

            "Yeah," Piper's voice replied, "it's been, oh, almost two hours now.  There was some problem with manually opening the doors and getting them all out."

            "Must be like a sauna in there," Paige commented distractedly as she sorted through a stack of file folders on her desk.

            "I'm sure she's already finished her bottle of water," Piper commented in a worried tone, "and Leo's not around to bring her a new one."

            "Maybe she called him and he got to her.  Where'd he go?" Paige questioned as she pulled out a folder and opened it.

            "He didn't say," Piper answered.  "I just wanted to let you know what was goin' on."

            "Thanks," Paige said as she closed the folder and moved the pile on her desk to the side.  "Look, I'd love to help Phoebe but after twenty minutes of figuring out this archaic filing system, I finally found the file I need and I've only got five minutes left to make my recommendations on the case and unless you can freeze everyone here..."

            "I understand," Piper responded.  "I'm sure Phoebe'll be fine.  I guess I just needed to talk.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, too," Paige assured her older sister.  

"Yeah," Piper commented, "listen, Paige, I'm gonna eat the rest of the leftovers for lunch and then head out to the club for a couple of hours.  I'm planning on veggie lasagna for dinner.  Okay with you?"

            "Super," Paige told her.  "Later, 'gator," she added before she hung up and opened the folder again.

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "What are you doing?" Cole asked Phoebe as he reappeared in the elevator.

            Phoebe sat cross-legged in a relaxing yoga position with her eyes closed.  She took a deep breath and, in a calm voice, told him, "I'm conserving energy.  It could still be another hour before I get out of here."

            "Maybe this'll help," Cole said as he held out a large bottle of water to her.

            Phoebe opened her eyes and looked at him.  "Cole, that's --"

            Cole took back the bottle and interrupted, "Sorry, I thought you could use it.  My mistake.  I'll go."

            "Cole, wait," Phoebe quickly said. Cole looked at her and waited.  "I was going to say that's very…sweet of you."  He held the bottle out to her and she gratefully accepted it.  She took several long swallows and looked back at him.  "Thanks."

            Cole smiled, "You're welcome….Actually, if it's not pushing my luck, I also brought some of those granola bars you like.  I figured it wouldn't be too hard to explain that you had them with you the whole time."

            Phoebe took the bars from him and dropped one into her bag before she unwrapped the other.  She bit into it and sighed with pleasure.  "Mmmm, meditation helps but food helps more.  Thanks… again," she added with a timid smile.

            "You're welcome…again," Cole responded with another smile.

            They both fell silent and Phoebe continued to eat the bar.  When she was done, Phoebe toyed with the wrapper and folded it into neat pleats while she stole quick glances at Cole.  She nervously crumpled up the wrapper and took another drink of water.  When she looked back up at him, she realized he was still watching her.  Suddenly, they spoke at the same time.

            "Well, since you're okay, I guess I'd better leave," he announced as began to step away from her.

            "You never did tell me about the ad," she said as she watched him.

            The both grinned and Cole shook his head.  "Guess some things never change."

            Phoebe's smile disappeared and she quietly said, "But some things do."

            Cole's smile faded too but he sat opposite her.  "Not the important things."

            Phoebe shrugged, "But it doesn't matter."

            "How can you, of all people, say love doesn't matter?" Cole asked in an annoyed tone.

            "Please," she requested, "I don't want to get into this now."

            "Why not?" he questioned.  "I think it's the perfect time.  You're stuck here and can't run away."

            Phoebe stared at him in shock.  "Run away? Is that what you think I do?"  Cole didn't answer and she muttered, "I do not run away from my problems."

            "Fine, maybe run away is the wrong phrase," Cole conceded.  "Avoid is probably more accurate."

            "I don't avoid issues either," Phoebe argued.

            Cole rolled his eyes, "Please.  How many times have you stormed out after a fight with your sisters instead facing them head on right away? And how many times did I have to propose before you finally gave me an answer?"

            "We were in the middle of fighting demons and the Source," she insisted, "and it wasn't the right time to be talking about marriage.  And I thought you understood."

            "Sure," Cole said, unconvinced, "whatever you say.  You don't see a pattern? Fine, must be my imagination."

            Phoebe grabbed the water bottle and took another swig.  She stared at the cap as she twisted it closed and quietly said, "Just because I storm out of the room or don't discuss certain issues with anyone doesn't mean I'm not dealing with them."  She looked up, caught his gaze, and added, "And I never kept anything from you."

            A flash of pain crossed Cole's features before he challenged, "Then you shouldn't have any problem having this conversation with me right now."

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "Hey, Darryl, what's up?" Piper asked the detective as she let him into P3.

            "Hey, Piper," he greeted.  "You're looking as radiant as ever."

            "You flatterer," she smiled as she rolled her eyes.  "You'd better teach Leo that a little flattery will go a long way when I'm as big as a whale."

            "Just something I learned from growing up in a family of women," Darryl answered as he followed her down the steps and towards the bar.  "The trick is not to let 'em know you're flattering 'em."

            Piper scowled, "Hmmm, on second thought, maybe you should keep it to yourself."  Darryl laughed and she asked,  "So, what're you doing here this time of day?"

            "You're usually here this time of day," he answered as he grabbed a fistful of peanuts from a small bowl on the bar.

            Piper lightly slapped his free hand and he grinned sheepishly as he popped a few of them into his mouth all at once.  "Did you get stuck in that traffic jam? " she inquired.  "The lights downtown were haywire.  I wasn't even sure the club would have power when I got here."

            "The heatwave's caused brownouts and blackouts in all sections of the city.  Most power's been restored," Darryl told her.

            "I was actually thinking of closing the club tonight," she admitted, "but business has been surprisingly good in this weather.  I guess people need a cool place to relax.  Poor Phoebe, y'know she's actually stuck in an elevator in her building."

            "You're kidding," he laughed.  "Sorry, in this weather, that's not so funny.  How's she doing?"

            "She called a little while ago," Piper responded, "but it wasn't a long call.  She wants to save her cell phone battery in case her situation changes.  She finished the bottle of water she'd had with her and was going to try some meditation to help conserve her energy."

"Can't she call for Leo?" Darryl wondered.

Piper frowned, "He's out of reach right now."

"What about Paige?" he suggested.  "I thought she can orb now.  Can't she bring Phoebe something to drink?"

Piper shook her head, "She had some big consultation that she couldn't miss.  Phoebe'll be okay….Y'know, um, Cole paid her a little visit before."  Darryl didn't comment and she asked, "Okay, why aren't you surprised?"

            "Huh? Oh, I am," he stammered.  "I am surprised…Really."

            Piper looked at him in disbelief.  "Care to explain why that doesn't sound convincing?"

            "Cole's the reason I came by," Darryl reluctantly told her.  "I thought about it and since I never actually promised not to say anything…well, I thought maybe I should tell you."

"Tell me what?" Piper warily asked.

"Cole came to see me a couple of weeks ago," he admitted.

            "What?" she groaned.  "Why didn't you tell us?"

            Darryl apologized, "I didn't want to upset Phoebe, or any of you, by mentioning it if he wasn't going to stick around.  I wasn't sure he'd even go through with it.  Besides, I thought Phoebe asked him to go."

            Piper shook her head, "She told him to move on.  But I'm not even sure she knew what she meant by that.  I certainly don't think she ever told him to leave town."  Piper sighed, "What did you mean about him going 'through with it'? What's he up to?"

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            Cole shrugged, "Seemed like a good idea to me.  It's not nine-to-five, no suits to answer to, I can make my own hours.  And, I can put my skills to good use."

            "Helping the innocent?" Phoebe pointedly asked.

            "I don't think demons will come running to a traitor for help," Cole countered, "and that's if word gets out below that I'm back and they deem to bother with me."

            Phoebe let his non-answer pass and considered his idea, "It does seem right up your alley.  And if Darryl was able to pull some strings……But why here? You can be a private investigator anywhere in the country.  In the world."

            Cole stared at her, leaned forward, and stated, "You know why here."

            "Cole…" Phoebe warned.

            Cole sat back against the wall, bent his knees slightly, and rested his arms against them.  He spoke carefully as he looked at his wife, "Look, Phoebe, I know I'm a long way from regaining your trust but I have to start somewhere.  Once I --"

            "It's not about trust," Phoebe interrupted as she shifted position and stretched her legs out in front of her.

            "Isn't it?" Cole questioned.  "Isn't that what this is all about? That you can't trust me anymore?"

            "I trust you, Cole," Phoebe quietly answered as she looked down at the half-empty bottle she held in her lap.

            "But you can't look me in the eye and say that," Cole said in an annoyed tone.

            Phoebe slowly brought her gaze up to meet his.  Tears pricked her eyes and she repeated, "I trust you, Cole…with my life."

            Cole stared back at her and took a moment before he demanded, "Then why? Why do you want to end us?"

            "I'm…afraid," Phoebe finally whispered.

            "Afraid?" Cole asked, stunned.  "But the Source is gone.  Forever.  So is the Seer.  What're you afraid o-- Me.  You're afraid of me," he concluded in an almost defeated tone.

            Phoebe shook her head, "I could never be afraid of you, Cole.  Never.  Not even when you were the…not even then."

            "Then what are you afraid of?" Cole wondered aloud. "Is it someone else you're afraid of?"

            A few tears ran down Phoebe's cheeks.  She wiped them away and didn't look at him as she admitted in a voice so soft he barely heard, "Me….There, I've said finally said it."  She gazed back at him and, with a bit more confidence, stated, "Me.  I'm afraid of me."

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "So what brings you here in the middle of the day?" Piper asked her father as he sat down next to her in the booth.

            "I just wanted to check on my daughter," Victor answered as he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.  "I was surprised you weren't at home.  Are you sure you should be here in this weather? And shouldn't you have the a/c on?"

            Piper smiled patiently and pushed aside her clipboard.  "I'm fine, Dad.  It's just me here and I'm saving energy by only running the ceiling fan.  Besides, it's Phoebe you should be worried about."

            Victor looked at her with sudden concern.  "Why? What happened to Phoebe?"

            "She's stuck in an elevator," Piper told him.  "But she's okay.  She called a little while ago to check in."

            "But?" Victor asked after Piper paused.

            Piper stared at her father a moment before she said, "Cole's with her."

            "Cole?" Victor uttered in surprise.  "How did he -- Why did he -- Is she okay?"

            "She really didn't say much," Piper answered.  "She said he brought her some water and granola bars and that she was told it wouldn't be much longer before the elevator would be working again."

            Victor sighed, "How'd she seem? About Cole, I mean?"

            Piper shrugged, "It's hard to tell.  She hasn't mentioned him in the longest time and it was a very short call.  I guess she seemed a bit stunned."

            "She's been keeping it all inside," Victor concluded.  "She doesn't want anyone to worry about her."

            "I know," Piper nodded, "I've tried talking to her.  I don't think it's good for her to keep it all bottled up but she insists she's handling everything okay.  She's always been stubborn."

            "She needs to prove she's strong," he corrected her, "which isn't necessarily the same thing."  Piper looked at him in confusion and he explained, "I was out of the picture when Phoebe was just a baby.  Your mom died while she was still a toddler.  Phoebe's always felt a sense of guilt that it was somehow her fault the family fell apart."

            "But that's ridiculous," Piper exclaimed.  "She told you that?"

            Victor nodded, "Phoebe and I have had a lot of talks since she looked me up a few years ago.  She didn't have any memories of me and I only had memories of a baby girl. We had lost so much time and were basically strangers and maybe that's why it was so easy to reconnect with her.  We were able to talk about anything and everything.  I don't think we've ever been closer."

            "I…didn't know," Piper quietly admitted.

            "I didn't tell you to make you feel bad," Victor quickly said.  "I just wanted to explain why I might have a slightly different insight to your sister.   You do know I love you every bit as much as I love Phoebe, don't you?"

            Piper nodded with a slight smile.  "I love you too, Dad."  Piper was quiet a moment before she asked, "Did she talk to you about Cole? About what happened?"

            Victor nodded, "We've spent quite a bit of time together over the past few months.  We talked.  About Cole.  The baby.  Her future.  She loves you Piper.  And Paige."  Piper let out a breath of relief and he quickly pulled her into a hug.  "Don't ever doubt Phoebe's feelings for her sisters.  You all mean the world to her.  That's why…" his voice trailed off.

            Piper gently pushed herself out of her father's embrace.  "That's why this thing with Cole hurt her so badly."

            Victor clarified, "As much as she loves you, she loves him.  Being forced to constantly choose between you tore her apart even as far back as when…."

            "As when Prue was still alive," Piper quietly finished.  She looked back at her father and sympathetically said, "We never wanted her to have to choose.  Cole didn't either.  *That* I believe….She shouldn't have been forced to choose." 

"No, she shouldn't have been," Victor agreed.

Piper continued, "For a while she was able to have both.  Even after she left us to be with him…She tried so hard, Dad.  She really did."

            "I know," Victor commented as he hugged his daughter again.

            "It's not fair," she murmured, "it's just not fair."

            "Maybe she'll find a way," he commented as he stroked her back, "maybe they both will."

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

            "Divorce? You think divorce is the answer?" Cole asked incredulously as he pulled away from his embrace with Phoebe.  "Haven't you heard a word I've said?"

            "I heard you," Phoebe stated as she crossed her arms in front of her, "but you obviously haven't heard me."

            They glared at each other before Cole reached out and tenderly stroked his wife's cheek.  Softly, he said, "I understand why you're afraid.  But if we're together, nothing can come between --"

            "No," Phoebe interrupted as she reached up and gently pulled his hand away.  But she held it in hers and looked at him as she continued, "You don't understand.  Not really." 

            "Then explain it to me, again," Cole requested.

            "There's not much to explain," Phoebe began as she looked down at their laced fingers, "because it all boils down to one thing.  I enjoyed being evil.  As hard as it is to admit, I've got to face it."  She gazed into his eyes and continued, "I loved it, Cole.  Every damned minute of it.  Even though I knew my sisters were hurting, and even though I tried my best to control myself and not hurt any innocents, I still loved having that power.  That incredible feeling of knowing I could do anything and have no one to answer to."  She gave him a slight smile, "Well, almost no one."

Cole smiled at her in return for a moment before he turned serious and admitted, "It can be pretty intoxicating once you get caught up in all that power.  It can make you lose sight of things."

Phoebe nodded and quietly asked, "But we did okay, didn't we? We still had, and wanted, each other.  And we had our…"

"Phoebe…" Cole murmured as he pulled her close.  "I loved him.  I wanted him and I wanted us to be a family."

"I know," Phoebe whispered as she burrowed her face into his shirt.  "I wanted that, too."

They remained embraced for a few moments before Phoebe finally pushed herself away from him.  In a choked voice she told him, "The fact still remains, Cole, that I enjoyed it all.  So maybe you were right before about it being about trust.  Because if I can't trust myself, how can I trust you?"

            "Phoebe, I never meant --" Cole quickly stammered.

            "I know," Phoebe quickly interrupted as she brought her fingers to his lips.  "I know you never meant to become the Source.  I know you never wanted to become evil again and I know you never wanted to put me in that position."

            "I'm sorry," Cole quietly said.

            "I know you are, baby," Phoebe whispered as she reached for and tightly squeezed his hand.  "And I am too.  I know you never wanted to hurt me and I hope you can believe that I never wanted to hurt you."

            "You never --" Cole said.

            Phoebe shook her head and interrupted, "I did.  More times than I would want to count.  And yet you still were there for me.  No matter what happened, you were always by my side."

            "I love you, Phoebe," Cole stated.  "Nothing can ever change that."

            Phoebe gazed into his eyes and quietly told him, "I believe you.  I do.  But it's still too raw.  I look at you now, and, in an instant, remember him and all the pain he caused.  It was the Source that caused all this damage.  I know that.  But…"

"But what?" Cole gently encouraged.

"But it was your body," Phoebe reluctantly admitted.  "Cole, I look at you but it's him I see and I don't know when I'll get past that.  If ever."

            Cole looked back at her, stunned, "I…had no idea.  Phoebe, I don't know what I can --"

            Phoebe interrupted him with a tender kiss on his lips.  She pulled her hand from his and cupped his face with both of her hands as she gently told him, "I will always love you, Cole.  Nothing can ever change that."

            The elevator suddenly jerked and dropped for a moment before it slowly began to ascend.  

            Cole pulled Phoebe close again and tenderly placed a kiss on the top of her head before he stood.  He looked down at her and somberly said, "Leave the papers at the mausoleum.  I'll sign them."  

            Tears ran down Phoebe's cheeks as she called to him when he began to step away, "Maybe one day…"

            Cole gave her a sad smile before he disappeared just as the elevator doors pinged and opened.

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

**Three Weeks Later…**

            Phoebe sat on the barstool next to her assistant and stared at her bottle of sparkling water.  She toyed with the straw and said, "I can't believe I let you talk me into coming here.  At least at P3 we could've gotten free drinks."

            "Come on," the tall blond told her, "you need to have some fun and that doesn't mean hanging out with your sister." 

            "Look, I know you mean well," Phoebe began, "but I don't think this was such a great idea.  I'm just not in --"

            "Oh," her assistant suddenly interrupted as she looked down at the glass she held between her fingers, "it's about this boss/assistant thing.  I understand.  Don't worry about it."

            Phoebe touched her friend's hand, "No, that's not it.  You know I enjoy your company.  It's just that I'm not ready for this."

            "This?" Phoebe's companion asked as she looked around the bar.  "Oh, you mean men.  Look, I never met your husband and what happened between you is none of my business but you've gotta get out of this rut you've been in for the past couple of weeks.  It's like you've suddenly lost all that positive energy you had before.  I promise, it doesn't have to go any further than tonight.  Just pick a guy and have a simple conversation."  Phoebe began to protest but she interrupted, "Fine, I'll pick the guy and save you some of the frustration."  She looked around and said, "How about him? He's a gorgeous hunka meat and I've noticed him watching you the entire time we've been here."

            "Who?" Phoebe asked as she nervously looked around.

            "Oooh, looks like he's taking matters into his own hands," her assistant said as she quickly stood.  "He's coming this way," she whispered into Phoebe's ear, "and I'm outta here."

            "Wait," Phoebe sharply whispered as she grabbed her assistant's arm, "you're not gonna leave me?"

            "See ya tomorrow," her friend whispered with a wink before she disappeared into the crowd.

            "Excuse me," a voice said, "but is this seat taken?"

            Phoebe stiffened in her spot at the familiar voice and slowly spun around.  She stared at him in shock and couldn't speak.

            He smiled at her and said, "Hi, I'm Cole."

            After another stunned moment, Phoebe finally found her voice and said in a responded accordingly in a slightly confused tone, "I'm Phoebe."

            "Hi Phoebe," Cole said with another smile as he stirred the olive in his drink.

            "What are you doing --" she stammered.

            "So," he interrupted, "is this seat taken?"

            Phoebe gazed into his eyes and saw something reflected that she hadn't seen in a long time.  "Hope," she whispered.

            "What?" he asked, confused.

            "Never mind," Phoebe said as she shook her head. Suddenly, she genuinely smiled at him and gestured to the stool next to her.  As he sat down, she added, "So, Cole, tell me about yourself…"

_the end ~ and the beginning…_


End file.
